Current thinking suggests that losing weight is not all about cutting back on everything; it’s about eating more of the right foods and less of the wrong. You don’t need to go through the day with that empty feeling in your stomach and suffering those embarrassing tummy growls. In fact, if you deprive yourself of food, it can potentially harm your body, and you will more likely put weight back on, as well. There are foods that can help you lose weight by filling you up, but not filling you with the calories and there are also foods that can increase the rate of your metabolism, which helps you to burn off the fat faster. The best option is not to go overboard on one fat burning food, but to eat a balanced and varied diet, consisting of the many foods that can help you lose weight. Add a selection of the following foods to your diet and it will help you achieve your weight loss goals…So, what to eat to lose weight? Let’s find out together.
1. Beans
Inexpensive, filling, and versatile, beans are a great source of protein. Beans are also high in fiber and slow to digest. That means you feel full longer, which may stop you from eating more.
2. Soup
Start a meal with a cup of soup, and you may end up eating less. It doesn’t matter if the soup is chunky or pureed, as long as it’s broth-based. You want to keep the soup to 100 to 150 calories a serving. So skip the dollops of cream and butter.
3. Dark Chocolate
Want to enjoy chocolate between meals? Pick a square or two of dark over the milky version. In one study, chocolate lovers who were given dark chocolate ate 15% less pizza a few hours later than those who had eaten milk chocolate.
4. Pureed vegetables
You can add more veggies to your diet, enjoy your “cheat” foods, and cut back on the calories you’re eating, all at the same time. When Penn State researchers added pureed cauliflower and zucchini to mac and cheese, people seemed to like the dish just as much. But they ate 200 to 350 fewer calories. Those healthy vegetables added low-cal bulk to the tasty dish
5. Eggs and Sausage
A protein-rich breakfast may help you resist snack attacks throughout the day. In a study of a group of obese young women, those who started the day with 35 grams of protein that’s probably way more than you’re eating — felt fuller right away. The women ate a 350-calorie breakfast that included eggs and a beef sausage patty. The effect of the high-protein breakfast seemed to last into the evening, when the women munched less on fatty, sugary goods than the women who had cereal for breakfast
6. Couscous
Couscous is a low fat, low calorie food that will fill you up quickly. 100 grams of couscous contains only about 110 calories. It is an excellent source of low release energy and it actually swells in the stomach, so it will keep you feeling full for longer.
7. Grapefruit
Grapefruit is another one of great foods that help you lose weight. You don’t need to live off grapefruit alone to get all the benefits that it offers, but grapefruit does contain phytochemicals, which reduce insulin levels and encourage your body to convert food to energy, rather than store it as fat.
8. Salad
What to eat to lose weight? If you get into the habit of eating a small salad before your main meals, the salad will fill you up and help stop you from overeating at your main meal. Be sure though not to smother your salad in high-calorie dressing, a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice or balsamic vinegar will do.
9. Chiles
Another popular food that help you lose weight is chili. Adding spice to your food can burn off the calories quickly. Chiles and similar hot spices, contain capsaicin, which is the chemical that creates the heat and that heat that you feel is caused by a process called thermogenesis, which burns calories for you, as well as providing the heat.
10. Carrots
Carrots and other root vegetables, like parsnips, are very high in fiber, so they fill you up without the calories and they pass through your system quickly. A good way to get your daily requirement of fiber is to juice vegetables like carrots; it will still give you the fiber, vitamins and fill you up.
11. Celery
If you wonder what to eat to lose weight, don’t overlook celery. Celery is almost the perfect diet food, as you burn more calories eating it, than you gain from consuming it. Add it to your pre-meal salad and the fiber in celery will help fill you up with absolutely no gain in calories.
12. Avocado
You may have read bad things about avocados, but if you eat them in moderation, they can be good for weight loss. The ‘alligator pear’, as avocado was nicknamed because of its shape and color, can not only do wonders for your body, but you also can use avocado as a face mask to nourish your skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. They do contain a lot of calories, but, calorie for calorie, they fill you up more, than many other types of food, so they can make a good addition to your diet. Avocados are rich in good and healthy fats, potassium, dietary fiber, magnesium, iron and vitamins A, B-6 and C.
13. Spinach
Fresh spinach is a low fat way to get many of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs, without piling on the pounds. It contains vitamins C, A, K and B and is high in antioxidants. One serving of spinach, with a poached egg on top, is a complete meal all by itself.
14. Green tea
We also included green tea in our list of foods that help you lose weight. Green tea is filled with antioxidants and it provides your metabolism with a boost every time you drink it. A study found, that if you drink five cups of green tea a day, you can double the amount of your weight loss when dieting.
8. Yogurt
Whether you prefer Greek or traditional, yogurt can be good for your waistline.
A Harvard study followed more than 120,000 people for a decade or longer. Yogurt, of all the foods that were tracked, was most closely linked to weight loss.
That doesn’t prove that yogurt caused weight loss, but it stood out among other foods.
16. Cinnamon
Just a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon a day can help lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and it can also help ward off the after meal insulin spikes that can make your body store calories as fat.
17. Buckwheat pasta
Buckwheat pasta contains both carbohydrates and protein, which makes it far more satisfying and filling, than regular pasta. Chose buckwheat pasta, the next time you go shopping, and you will find it far harder to overeat it
18. Apples
Skip the apple juice and the applesauce and opt instead for a crunchy apple. Whole fruit blunts appetite in a way that fruit juices and sauces don’t.
One reason is that raw fruit has more fiber. Plus, chewing sends signals to your brain that you’ve eaten something substantial.
19. Blueberries
Blueberries are also included in our list of foods that hep you lose weight. Blueberries are well known for their health benefits, especially their anti-aging properties, thanks to a high antioxidant content, but they are also a fantastic fruit that can be included in a diet plan for weight loss. Just a one cup serving will give you 4 grams of fiber, all those vitamins and antioxidants, and it will only set you back around eighty calories.
20. Oats
What to eat to lose weight? Eat a healthy oatmeal breakfast. A serving of oatmeal in the morning can make you feel full all day long. Oats are a good source of fiber and they also contain resistant starch, which is a healthy carbohydrate that can boost the metabolism and help you to shed the pounds.
Health and Fitness 